Chapter 37

“John, show me the secrets of this property?” I asked.

John was the full-time chef and the longest service employee. I assumed he was an expert on this palace. He feigned ignorance, or maybe he really didn’t know.

This morning after breakfast, I returned to my massive, opulent bedroom. I was reviewing Maggie’s BDSM crate and coming up with the day’s game plan. A small red rubber ball had fallen from the collection and rolled under a knee-high ledge. Did these balls serve as a safe word substitute for a gagged submissive?

I bent down to retrieve the ball and randomly looked up at the bottom of the ledge. I barely saw it, a switch, almost flush with the underside. Of course, I flipped it. A popping sound drew my eyes up to the high, white ceiling. Two little hinged trapdoors opened. And then the chains with large O-rings at the ends appeared, creeping downward, finally stopping only a few feet from the floor.

I flipped the switch again, and up they moved. Another touch to the switch and they stopped partway up. I tested their strength with my body weight. I bet these could lift a horse! The two chains came down from the ceiling about eight feet apart, perfect to spread the sub’s arms, or dangle two submissives at a time. Excellent! I raised the chains all the way back up and watched the trapdoors close.

Almost completely seamless to the ceiling. No one would ever know they were there unless they looked closely. Or stumbled across the switch as I had. I looked for more tiny imperfections in the ceiling, but found none. That was when I took the hike to find John. There just had to be more things unrevealed!

John and I hiked back to my bedroom. It was at least a block away from the kitchen ... if you counted those Portland two hundred foot long blocks as blocks.

Hmm, if someone screamed in my bedroom, would any of the staff hear it? I doubted it. The staff had many off-limits areas for much of the day for guest privacy. And the space between staff areas and guest areas was immense.

I flipped the switch, and John’s jaw dropped. Okay, he didn’t know. Who would know?

“John, we are buying the property, so no holding back on me. Who would know the rest of what is hidden?”

He thought silently while pacing and looking at the dangling chains. “Two people come to my mind immediately. Jane is the cleaning crew supervisor. She disappears from time to time, which now would suddenly make sense if there are more concealed features. The other would be Arthur with the property management company. He is on-site at the hotel. With the renovation of this property, he was in charge.”

Arthur would know we are buying the place and be less apt to hide anything from us. Jane would probably not be aware and might be in denial. “Let’s get Arthur over here.”

Ten minutes later, Arthur arrived. Like John, and like the rest of the staff, Arthur was black. I’m so used to saying African American, but Antigua is historically English. Unlike John, Arthur was a mountain of a man, my height, and a hundred pounds heavier. Arthur dismissed John, so it was just the two of us. My instincts were correct; he had something else confidential to show me. I had the chains still visible from the ceiling. “Arthur, I was pleased to see this sweet feature. What else ya got?”

Arthur exhaled deeply. “Oh, good, you like this. Then be prepared to have your socks knocked off ... err, if you wore them.” I looked down and laughed as I wiggled my toes.

Arthur pushed the switch and raised the chains into the ceiling, then explained as he moved back and forth between the corner of the wall, and a spot slightly under the bed, “Okay, pressure plates need to be pressed precisely to open the hidden door. Once in the corner here, once on that tiny red dot under the bed, once again in the corner, then one last time on the red dot. And you need to perform them in under twelve seconds.”

A door-sized panel popped open in the seamless wall beside the bed. As he stepped through, he beckoned me to follow. After a small landing, entered behind the wall, an immediate left took us down a stairway. I had never noticed that this wall was incredibly thick, so it hid the stairway within perfectly.

Lights automatically came on as we descended, and then I saw it. A modern, enormous dungeon. My bedroom above was huge, but this room stretched way beyond it. Damn, at least a couple thousand square feet. The same white theme of the palatial estate above. Twelve foot high ceilings, every piece of furniture I had ever seen pictures of, and some I never imagined. All in an ultramodern theme.

“What in the world is that?” I pointed at the imposing stainless steel and white padded wheel standing ten feet tall and with a massive hydraulic arm holding it up. It looked like ... well, nothing I had ever seen before. Maybe like a rotating space station, but with so many large indentations on the outside and metal bars. Seating was also present around it.

“That is the HFW, an amazing piece of technological fun. Ohh, HFW stands for Harem Ferris Wheel. The original concept goes back to Leonardo da Vinci.”

“Really?”

Arthur grinned. “No, sir, the last part was a poor joke.”

“What is it capable of doing?”

“Computerized, voice-controlled way to ‘entertain’ a number of women at one time. Works best with six or eight women at a time ... if you want to complete the circuit. But fun with fewer, too. Mount the first girl face-up on the machine. It senses all her body measurements and mechanically adjusts the wheel for a perfect fit. As you rotate the wheel, mount the next girl face down. The next face up, and so on. The wheel will expand or contract for a perfect fit for all the girls.”

“Oh my god, I am imagining the possibilities!”

“Your imagination will fall far short. This wheel integrates so many emerging technologies. Only now becoming possible. Bring your women down and play with them on the wheel. Then come back the next day and you will be stunned to find it is so much more!”

“Who designed and built this?”

“The property owners were deeply involved. They began the design around the year 2000. The owners completed this version just last year and have worked out all the ‘kinks’.” Arthur laughed at his pun. I politely smiled.

“You will also get all the maintenance contacts. Think of this as a complicated pinball machine; maintenance will be required, but it will be so very worth it.”

Arthur commanded, “Awake, Medea.”

“Hello Arthur, it has been several months.” A sexy, sultry, disembodied voice responded with, interestingly, an Australian accent.

“Please meet James Zefram Cochran. Mr Cochran goes by ‘Z’. He will be the new owner of this realm, and as such, has full access to everything. Please use novice-level communications until he comes up to speed.”

“Of course, Arthur. Very nice to meet you, James Zefram Cochran. May I please call you ‘Z’?”

“Yes, Medea, thank you.”

“Arthur, have you used this facility much?”

“I have, sir, with the owners. I would offer my services to you, but I believe you are not fond of sharing your toys,” Arthur winked. “Bring them all down here at your convenience and have fun. Medea will be of immense help; it will all be so intuitive. Medea covers this entire lower-level facility and will assist you in exploring it. So much to discover. But the wheel alone holds so many opportunities for intense pleasure and delicious touches of pain. Just remember, after one play session, you might think you know the capabilities. But you won’t!”

Arthur gave the quick verbal summary of the dungeon domain, “Completely soundproofed, stereo system, video wall, lights can dim infinitely, all the BDSM equipment known to humanity, a bondage bed, a huge play bed (It was an Alaskan king, yay!), a bondage wall to keep up to eight slaves chained...”

“Holy crap! It all looks brand new?”

“The owners were quite fond of this room, and several select guests used it. But yes, most guests here have never known they were living above it. The cleaning crew supervisor beautifully maintains it after use. But it is largely self-cleaning, and Medea, the supercomputer, boggles the mind.”

“All this comes with the house?”

“In your purchase agreement, the sellers have several upcoming weeks where they will continue to use the property, at no charge, until their new island construction is complete. Plus, there are weeks with special guests that will still be honored.”

I nodded, “What do those doors back there lead to?”

“Come, let’s look. A small kitchen, a bar, and a bathroom with a shower and tub, and a large hot tub. Ohh, and here is a supply room that contains deep assortments of chains, whips, ropes, and resupplies for various special equipment.”

“Unbelievable! I need to build this entire dungeon on my estate!” I paused as my blown mind recovered. “Any other surprises, Arthur?”

“No, sir,” Arthur said with a smile, “all the ones you will still uncover down here with Medea will challenge your mind as to what is possible.”

“One last question. I thought the price of this property was extremely high, but Maggie assured me it was reasonable and hinted there were other benefits. Now it all makes sense.”

“You actually got a fantastic deal. The money that went into this room well exceeds the price of the estate above. Two things were in your favor. Timing, the owners have bought a new island and are building. And second, your associates are quite interested in duplicating this technology, as you have also shown.”

“The HFW alone must have cost millions to develop? And such a narrow use case?”

Arthur nodded, “Yes, millions would want a harem. Few could ever have one. Even fewer with the resources to provide for one so richly. Your women are blessed, and you are too.”

“Did Maggie know about all this?”

“My understanding is ... yes, she knows there was more unseen. But not specifically what. Her abilities enchant everyone who has met her. She is a unique woman, so young and so brilliant. If you ever want to sell her...” Arthur laughed hard. “That was a joke; sadly, we know she is not for sale.”

Arthur spread his arms wide and grinned. “If she overstepped, you will have comprehensive choices to correct her.”

“It is true; Maggie runs wild. But she has earned my trust, and I allow her to surprise me. Strong women delight and fascinate me. But yes, they are also great fun to ... discipline.”

After Arthur left, I picked up a spreader bar and two pairs of suspension cuffs and headed upstairs, tossing them onto my bed, looking back and marveling at how the door closed into nothingness.

Sitting on my bed, I took several deep breaths. Mentally laughing at myself. I was amused by the disappearing door. Yet I was taking the whole insane world below me in stride. Hmm, maybe I was not. Perhaps I was in shock. For good reason. Nope, I really was rolling with it all. I’m the luckiest son of a bitch on earth. My life would make such a great video game. I couldn’t wait to try out the Harem Ferris Wheel! But all in good time. I had the makings of a plan; time to implement it.

I picked up one set of black leather suspension cuffs and headed out to find my first victim of the day. All six women were on the veranda, wearing bikinis and coverups, and chatting in the sunny early morning. “Doris Alex, you’re first. Bikini off and extend your arms.”

“Those are suspension cuffs, Z.”

“Indeed, they are.”

“But we don’t have any...”

“Slave, are you Jonesing for extra strokes of my whip?”

“No, master, my apologies.”

As I front-cuffed Doris Alex, I told the other women to stay where they were and give us some privacy, even if they heard screaming. I winked and led my red-haired beauty away to my room, ordering her to stand under where one of the ceiling chains would appear. I toggled the chains down.